Vinni Lettieri found himself in a familiar position Friday night against Penn State: headed back to the bench without a stick in his hands.
By his own estimation, the Gophers junior forward has snapped at least 10 sticks on one-timers this season, causing potential scoring chances to go awry. The third-line center scored three points last weekend despite one break and is switching to a new stick, which could help the team get the secondary production it needs from its lineup.
"It was great to see Vinni get rewarded because I don't know if anybody's been more unlucky this year from an offensive standpoint than he has," Gophers coach Don Lucia said.